Rosary
The Rosary is the second type of Divine Instrument that Amaterasu comes across on her travels. She finds the first one near the Guardian Sapling of Agata Forest. When equipped, a Rosary appears as a string of magatama beads circling her neck; when used, it whips out a long chain of holy energy, slicing and quickly eradicating the forces of evil in Nippon. Using the Rosary The Rosary, with its long range and projectile Sub, is a good counter for both flying foes and grounded enemies. It is arguably the best generator of Godhood, invaluable for many parts of the game, and is the favourite of many Okami players for its versatility and killing speed. Main The Rosary is the longest and fastest weapon in Okami. To attack, press the Square button or swing the Wii Remote quickly but consistently. Amaterasu will lash out with the Rosary, which slows slightly upon contacting a foe and delivers many hits very rapidly. The damage of an individual Rosary strike is a fraction of either the Reflector's or the Glaive's, but the overall damage potential is approximately the same because of the rapid attack rate. In fact, the attack rate means that rosaries can do even more damage than Reflectors or Glaives if used correctly. The Rosary is usually single targeted, but when large swarms of enemies surround Amaterasu (such as at the Devil Gate Trial Caves), the Rosary may hit more enemies simultaneously in the manner of an area-effect attack. Attacks can be made at any time, but swings while in the air tend to be weaker and less consistent. The Rosary has a 4-swing combo when first acquired. During each swing, consistent and firm "mashing" of the Square key or shaking of the Wii Remote will yield many hits in each. Teachings from Onigiri-Sensei at his Dojos can allow Ammy to make a lengthy 6 or 8-swing combo. Rosaries may disrupt the usage of the Celestial Brush to perform Floral Finishers, as hitting an enemy after it has begun its death sequence loses you the chance to acquire Demon Fangs. Using combo-halting techniques such as the Reflector Sub attack, the Fleetfoot technique, or even jumping can stop your combo and allow you to perform the required strokes without impediment. Take note that the Wii version of the game does not allow you to stop combos in this way, but if you stop swinging the Wii Remote as Ammy delivers the final hit she should finish the swing without striking the dying foe. Sub When a Rosary is equipped as a Sub weapon, it becomes a long-ranged projectile attack. Most Rosaries produce a rapid-fire "bullet" attack which delivers a volley of shards and then recharges over a short time.The Sub Rosary may appear as a series of objects either side of her Main weapon and be visible in different numbers depending on the projectiles remaining in the volley. Rosaries of mention are the Life Beads and the Resurrection Beads, the 2nd and 4th tier Rosaries. Their main attacks are unremarkable and identical in style to those of other Rosaries, but their Sub attacks are quite different. Instead of a rapid-fire release of bullets, they releases a spray of 5 "needles" at once, like a shotgun. This is another alternative to the Divine Retribution (see Reflector) as a melee Sub as its damage is devastating in the earlier parts of the game and remains worthy of respect as Amaterasu progresses. When fired close up, all the beads can hit a single enemy, dealing lots of damage quickly. It also heavily disrupts enemies' attack sequences, especially those which become "stunned" and impenetrable such as Bud Ogres. The projectiles, although fired in a wide spread, are also enough to cause flying enemies such as Ubume to reveal their weaknesses or fall to ground. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that more than one will hit a single enemy from far away, and this kind of attack also has a longer 'recharge' time than other rosaries and cannot be used rapid-fire, since all the beads in the rosary will be used for one of these shots, so the Life Beads and Resurrection Beads are less effective than the other three as Sub weapons when fighting at a longer range. The Wii version of the game has slightly different controls for using Rosary Sub attacks. To fire a single shot press Z, and to continue firing instead press C repeatedly if the Rosary has rapid-fire capabilities. Rosaries *As with Solar Flare and Thunder Edge, Tundra Beads does not carry over to a New Game+.